Health

Image copyright Getty Images Hospital doctors have dropped their 13-year opposition to the concept of helping terminally ill patients die. Following a poll of its members, the Royal College of Physicians has now adopted a neutral stance on the issue of assisted dying. Some groups have spoken out against the change, saying a respected medical […]

Image copyright Getty ImagesImage caption Uptake of cervical screening is at a 20-year low Women are to be offered the chance to carry out smear tests at home in a bid to cut the rates of cervical cancer. The pilot scheme will see some women given self-sampling kits in London and north-east England. It comes […]

Image caption England’s Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, wants the NHS to embrace genomics technology England’s Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, has been criticised by doctors for over-reacting to a DNA test he said had saved his life by revealing a “higher risk of prostate cancer”. Some senior medics said the test had shown his risk was […]

Image copyright AFP/Getty ImagesImage caption South African athlete Caster Semenya has been prevented from competing for nearly a year New rules to reduce naturally high testosterone levels in female athletes have been branded “unscientific”. Last year, athletics chiefs ruled women with levels of five nanomoles per litre or more must have hormone treatment before being […]

Image copyright Getty Images The NHS in England has no chance of training enough GPs and nurses to solve the shortages it faces, experts say. A report by three leading think tanks predicts that in the next five years nurse shortages will double and GP gaps nearly treble, without radical action. The Nuffield Trust, Health […]

Image copyright PAImage caption Registered childminders will look after children while mums attend screening appointments Dozens of childcare providers across the UK are offering to look after children for free to enable mothers to attend cervical screening appointments. Public Health England is currently spearheading a campaign to increase take-up rates of tests, said to be […]

Image copyright Getty ImagesImage caption Anti-vaping activists say young people are deliberately targeted with flavoured products Officials in San Francisco have proposed a new law to ban e-cigarette sales until their health effects are evaluated by the US government. The law appears to be the first of its kind in the US and seeks to […]

Image copyright Getty ImagesImage caption People experiencing psychosis lose touch with reality and may hear voices, researchers said Smoking potent ‘skunk-like’ cannabis increases your risk of serious mental illness, say researchers. They estimate around one in 10 new cases of psychosis may be associated with strong cannabis, based on their study of European cities and […]

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media captionJoy Milne can smell Parkinson’s disease before it is medically diagnosed A Scottish woman who astonished doctors with her ability to detect Parkinson’s disease through smell has helped scientists find what causes the odour. Researchers in Manchester said they had identified the molecules on the skin linked […]

Image copyright Getty Images Most patients seeking medicinal cannabis on the NHS will not be able to get it soon, despite recent changes in regulation that allow doctors to give it, a committee has heard. England’s Chief Medical Officer called for robust scientific trials to check safety. These trials can last years. Families with children […]

Image copyright Science Photo LibraryImage caption Hospital infection rates are being investigated by a Holyrood committee Communication between infection control nurses and maintenance staff at a Glasgow hospital hit by a series of outbreaks was “not particularly great”, MSPs have been told. Holyrood’s health committee launched an inquiry in the wake of problems at the […]

Image copyright Getty ImagesImage caption In 2017/18 almost two-thirds of adults in Northern Ireland were overweight or obese The Department of Health is considering setting up Northern Ireland’s first dedicated weight-loss surgery unit. An assessment will be carried out into whether or not the unit should be created in Enniskillen. Weight-loss surgery is sometimes used […]